JR Cigars “Calidad Suprema” second

Today’s smoke is brought to you by Dean from www.thebeerjournals.com . He handed me this smoke the other day, so of course I accepted it. I know virtually nothing about this cigar. I’m not even sure of the name, other then it is offered by JR Cigars, and the band says “Calidad Suprema” on it. What I do know is it is technically a “Second.” Meaning, it is considered flawed and therefore sold at a discount. If I find out more, I’ll post it here.

Pre smoke – The cigar originally had a hay-ish odor, and I could have sworn a couple times I smelled poo. But after sitting a couple days, it smells fine now. It’s firmly packed with tobacco, and bounces back when squeezed. The wrapper is a little rough looking, with blemishes here and there. The draw is a little tight, but nothing distracting.

First 3rd – The body was in the low-medium range. Things started off with a distinct earthy flavor. When I say earthy, I mean it reminded me of dirt or soil. I noticed a sweet flavor that faded quickly. I was left with the earthy flavor and a mild spice when passed through the sinuses. Towards the end of this third, I could have sworn subtle tastes of chocolate came and went. So far this is offering decent complexities.

Second 3rd – The prominant earty flavors calmed down a bit, but they are still there. A chocolate/coco flavor seems to be taking center stage, along with a mild spice/pepper. A toasty flavor introduced itself. Again, the complexities are great for such a cheap cigar. The burn remains perfect, and the ash drops off when it reaches a little over an inch.

Last 3rd – The body picked up a little bit, but stayed well within the medium range. The earthy taste almost went away completely. The cigar started to pick up a harsh tone to it, but nothing major. With about an inch left, the flavors fell flat, so I put it down.

Conclusion – For a cheap second, this was a good cigar. It offered plenty of complexities, and a good taste. This is my first time smoking a JR line cigar. Considering how this went, I will consider future purchases from them.

Almost every JR retail store should have these “Calidad Suprema” cigars for sale. It was actually the first cigar I ever had. Pretty cheap.. not that great. I have a second one sitting here with me and I’m probably going to smoke it within the next few days.

I’ll say this much, for a cheap 2$ cigar, it wasn’t so bad. But you can definitely do better. Next time I head to a JR store I’ll be picking up something a little bit pricier. Consider this as a beginning cigar if you know nothing about them because if you get something expensive you won’t know the difference.